I posted about this recipe twice on facebook and twitter and many of you have been asking for it, so here it is! It is fantastic with either raisins or chocolate chips (I found more than the amount recommended though was overpowering! Iy!). Both our small group and our kids (not to mention us two :D) have absolutely DEVOURED these! So make a double batch, they won’t last long!

 

May 2014 UPDATE: I’ve made some revisions to this recipe as it seems there were some struggles with ingredients based on temperature and humidity, or something I couldn’t quite figure out! Sometimes they’d end up muffin-y, other times more like granola bars. So I took out the wheat germ and changed up the other ingredients and the process somewhat. The result is much more consistent, and even more delicious!
Kid and Adult Friendly Granola Bars
 
  • 3 1/3 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 – 2 1/2 cups add-in (raisins, craisins, nuts, chips, etc.)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup oil (coconut or canola is best)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Generously grease a 9×13 casserole dish, cookie sheet or 2 bar pans for thinner granola bars (and by generously, I mean get the butter out and the paper towel and slather it up!)
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. 
dry granola bar ingredientsMake a well in the center, and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix well using a wooden spoon, or your hands. Especially your hands if you like to lick them when you’re totally finished. There’s just something about licking raw batter off your hands after you’ve tirelessly mixed and mixed and mixed….I digress. Oh but wait, first you must add the raisins! (Or chocolate chips in this case.)
granola bars with chocolate chips
No, this is not a paid advertisement for Chipits. I just thought I’d show you the bag in the background instead of the giant mess that is on my counter.
Pat the mixture firmly and evenly into the prepared pan.
bake granola bars
A picture is worth a thousand words. I suppose I could have left that instruction out entirely and just shown you this picture instead!
Bake for 20-25 minutes (TOTALLY depends on your oven! Mine is not very hot and they were very done in just under 20 minutes) in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. It’s better to under-bake them for softer, chewier bars.
Cool, then cut into bars while still warm. 
Kid and Adult Friendly Granola Bars
Breakfast anyone?